


Family - 35 A.B.

by the_lie_eternal



Category: Auf Streife, Eisbrecher, Original Work
Genre: AU, AU of AU, Family, Friendship, Implied M/M, Protectors, father - Freeform, i wanted to write my take on it, lost father, mentioned Andrew Carter from Hogan's Heroes, mentioned Peter Newkirk from Hogan's Heroes, mentioned Tom Mayer from Auf Streife, mother - Freeform, mother ship, the unknown below, this is also an inside joke between me and the creator of that au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-18 16:23:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20642126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_lie_eternal/pseuds/the_lie_eternal
Summary: Moritz stopped believing his mother's stories. He knew his father was alive. He knew his father was somewhere on the Mother Ship.





	Family - 35 A.B.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FanFicReader01](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanFicReader01/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Recruitment Day - 28 A.B.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20488532) by [FanFicReader01](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanFicReader01/pseuds/FanFicReader01). 

> Based on FanFicReader01’s “The Unknown Below” and is an interpretation of Moritz Breuer, the protector rookie at times in the actual story, and his relation to Rupert Keplinger, the second in command of the Mother Ship. This might be called an AU of an AU or something. Solomon Miller is an OC of FanFicReader01, Louisa Breuer is an OC of yours truly, the other characters belong to their respective fandoms.

An uncomfortable thud ripped me out of my sweet dreams, and I found myself laying on the hard metal ground next to my bed as I opened my eyes.

“You’re late.” I heard the well-known voice of my best friend Muri muttering. I sighed and pushed myself onto my legs. He definitely knew how to successfully wake me up without the danger of me falling asleep again. He’s been throwing me out of my bed since ages, since we became best friends. I was thankful at times – on this day I wasn’t.

“I told you to not let yourself go like this last night, you didn’t listen to me.” Muri crossed his arms and eyed my quick movements to clean up my bedsheets, afterwards pulling the box containing my uniform from below my bed. Then I raised my brows at him.

“As if I ever listened to you. Thanks for the wakeup call.” I stated. He was already stuck in his uniform, neatly as always. We were in the same team of protectors, still Miller sent us on separate patrols almost every time. “Protecting everyone on the ship, apart from relationships, family or friends” I thought. There was a time I strictly followed the protocols as if they were the only thing to live by. Nowadays? Not that much anymore.

“You listen to me more than you listen to him.” Muri too raised his brows and nodded at the bed that was next in the row to mine. Arne, he meant Arne. The man was still peacefully sleeping – he was lucky enough to have our evening spent together followed by a free day. My friend rolled his eyes as he noticed how I was staring heart-eyed at Arne. I would’ve almost stroked my fingers through his scruffy hair but then again I wanted to let him keep sleeping. He deserved it. Done with my inner love confessions towards my boyfriend, I finally gave in on Muri starting to stress me and I went to one of the protectors’ bathrooms.

We protectors slept in big, dormitory like rooms filled with bunk beds. Not as cramped as the quarters of the common folks, luckily, but privacy didn’t exist on the Mother Ship anyway. You learn how to sleep through the nightly sounds around you quickly.

“N- Next up patrol: Breuer, Carter, Newkirk and Demir. I want all of you back in one piece. O- Off you go.” Solomon read down his list and I high-fived my best friend, afterwards nodding at the other two protectors with a smile. We were a good team, not always too serious but a good team. Miller knew that, yet he sent us all four together. Well, his decisions had to be respected.

It was a rather calm dayshift. Small disputes after disputes and some rebellious teens but that was daily business. The last Escapist attack already laid back several months, so all of us were prepared for the next big hit. It wouldn’t be this day, that made me happy.

We were just patrolling through the big sanitary block of the ship, and somehow I unconsciously stopped in front of a mirror, studying my own face. My hair smoothly brushed to the right side, I was unnaturally blonde, piercing blue eyes (with eye bags from hell), and a prominent shaped face …

“Would you be less blonde, people could confuse you with Keplinger.” Muri stated as he appeared in the reflection, standing behind me. He was right. Every single person I met on this ship had asked me the same question, if I was in a way related to the ship’s second in command – Rupert Keplinger. We weren’t, in no possible way, still I looked like an individual copy of him. A funny coincidence, nothing more. People happen to look alike all over the ship without relation.

I smiled as I saw the familiar face of my mother appearing in the entrance of the upper class café. She shared a few words with the door security, I was pointed at and she was granted access. I already paid my points in advance, inviting my mother to a calm and fancy space seemed like a good investment of them. I hated the cramped up quarters of the common folk so I always tried to meet up with her in calmer spaces of the huge ship. It seemed surreal, but we rarely crossed paths randomly. I raised from my chair to hug her, she was a bit smaller than I was, yet still comfortable to embrace.

“What a handsome young man you are!” she exclaimed and I had to smile. I understood why she was so happy every time we met. Being a protector wasn’t an easy job, and she feared every second that something happens to me. We talked for a bit, the usual banter between a mother and a son, and as the usual topics were ticked off, I had the mirror back in mind.

“Dad, how was he like? Do I look similar to him?” I muttered, staring at my cup of coffee before looking into my mother’s eyes. They always changed when I asked about my father, they became glassy and weak.

“Your father died in the big bang. All I have from him is the necklace you wear around your neck and you, Moritz. I forgot how he looked like, it’s been 35 years.” she stated in a monotone voice. I felt the cool steel of said necklace against my chest, I already forgot that it was even there. She kept telling me the same story, that my father died in the big bang, shortly before I saw the light of life. She told me she lost everything in the blast, everything except the necklace and me. It was a sad story, but I couldn’t imagine how she felt like when she talked about it. I never met the world as it used to be – since I can think I’ve lived on this ship.

“Everyone always tells me I look like Keplinger.” I wrinkled my forehead and saw the subtle twitch in my mother’s face.

“You do. It’s a coincidence, though. You aren’t related to the second in command.” she murmured but the change in her voice told me that she was keeping a secret from me.

My own mother.

“What brings a protector like you in the library, huh?” Robin, the organizer of the ship’s library and archive, stated as he spotted me approaching him.

“I need access to the archive. The birth-statistics.” I was out of breath, why was the Mother Ship this enormous again?

“You know that I don’t randomly grant access, right?” he raised his brow and crossed his arms. He was correct, yet this would be even of his interest.

“I want to know who my father is. For all my life, people told me I look like our second in command. My mother doesn’t say a word about it. You have to help me.” I exclaimed and grabbed the shoulders of the man in front of me. Robin looked at me with big eyes.

“You actually do look like Keplinger.” he murmured with a nod and turned to walk towards the secured archive of the library, signing me to follow him. That’s how easy it was to make Robin help you – fuel his own interest. After we passed quite some security-checks, Robin and I finally arrived in front of the huge wall of books. Computers existed, even on the Mother Ship, but the chief librarian Robin Sturm insisted on keeping track of the folk by paper rather than digitally.

Somewhere among these books, somewhere I would find my father … or at least a hint to find out who he had been.

B – all folks on the ship with a B starting their family name. It took us quite a while to finally find the rather small list of “Br”, but once arrived there, finding two very familiar names were easy.

_Louisa Breuer / born -18 A.B. / Parents: No Data / …_

More wasn’t important for me and I moved to the next entry

_Moritz Breuer / born 0 A.B. / Parents: _

I gulped, was it that easy?

_Louisa Breuer & -_

I smashed my fist onto the desk. It wasn’t that easy, obviously.

K – a massive folder and finding the second in command was a much harder work than finding myself. I didn’t know why I checked his entry too, but I was already in the archives so I could also find out some information about him. He was an interesting man, after all.

_Rupert Keplinger / born -25 A.B. / Parents: No Data / Second in Command of “Mother Ship” / Premium Class / Former Navy Officer / AAA_

Ranks and more ranks and I almost yawned while reading through his career. He actually worked hard for his place in the commanding space, I always thought Wesselsky just privileged him because he was a childhood friend.

_\- A.B. relation to Captain Alexander Wesselsky_

He actually is a childhood friend. My attention was activated again as I read the next category.

_Official relationship status: Unknown, possible wife and son as the Mother Ship was manned, no further data or confirmation_

Possible? Keplinger was possibly in a relationship before the ship was manned? He possibly had a son? Enough, enough of that. It was late, I didn’t mind as I had a day off following anyway. I would confront Keplinger the upcoming morning, though. Confronting my mother wouldn’t help, I had to know if he was my father.

“You have an appointment or something?” the tall, dark haired man standing in front of the massive door leading into Keplinger’s office asked. It was weirdly calm in this hallway, obviously common folk wasn’t allowed to enter this part of the ship without special permit. Protectors were different, and the only difference I and Stephan – the guard of Keplinger’s door – had were the fact he was more privileged than I was because he took care of the ship’s commanders.

“Personal business, I have to talk to the second in command.” I stated and received a laughter coming from Stephan.

“And you really think it is that easy to walk through this door? Protector or not, I can’t let you in without a solid reason or emergency.” he exclaimed, continuing his laughter.

“Tell him who wants to speak to him, then you have your solid reason.” I replied and crossed my arms. As if the king himself, the holy god was sitting behind that door, I had to roll my eyes.

“As you wish, rookie, but I can already tell you that you probably have to leave.” he raised his brow and stepped through the door, disappearing for a few minutes. Rookie … not really anymore.

I could see it in Stephan’s eyes as he appeared in front of me again. I smiled, pushing the taller guy out of my way. “Thank you, Sindera.” I chuckled and entered the second commanders’ office. It wasn’t the first time stepping into the mighty room but for some reason it looked more intimidating than previous times. Maybe because I was going to confront Keplinger with the most unwanted topic I had to give.

Said man was seen resting in his office chair, his feet and boots laying on the desk. He looked less mighty without his uniform, that one was neatly stored on a close clothing stand, Keplinger himself wore nothing more than a tank top, black leather pants and the iconic boots. He could’ve almost been a rock star with that look.

“Good to see you well and healthy, Moritz.” he murmured, focused on playing with the rings on his fingers. “Being well and healthy isn’t the norm being a protector.”

“Sir, I’m not here as a protector, I’m here as a person demanding answers.” I stated, receiving a hum from the man in front of me. Interested in what I would say, he smoothly raised himself from his chair, walking around his desk to sit on it instead. Then he gave me a nod, waiting for my question.

“Since I can think, I’ve been searching for my father. I don’t believe that he’s dead, I don’t believe in what my mother says.” I muttered. It felt so stupid all of a sudden. Why would I tell the second in command something like this? Awkwardly I took my gaze off him, studying the pictures decorating his walls.  
Countless posters of what seemed to be rock bands from before the blast, and what suddenly jumped in my attention, a weirdly framed picture showing seemingly randomly sorted shapes and abstract figurines. It seemed so … familiar. And since when did Keplinger call me by my first name?

“He died in the blast, Moritz. I know you might feel like a part of you is missing, growing up without a father, but we can’t bring back what’s lost.” Keplinger explained, but seemed quite irritated as I grabbed below my uniform, pulling the necklace into the light.

“What a coincidence, your father must’ve been a fan of abstract art too.” Keplinger murmured as he too realized that the picture on the necklace and the one on his wall showed the exact same thing. But then …

“I’ve read about you in the archives, it’s said you apparently had a partner and a son before the mother ship left the docks for the first time!” I started to raise my voice and it was visible how Keplinger was losing his chill. Oh my god, I kept telling myself inside of my head, oh my god.

“Moritz, this is …” he tried to explain but I couldn’t keep my feelings for myself. It was my father standing in front of me, the man I’ve known for all my life, the man I worked for. Rupert Keplinger was my father.

“Every single person I meet tells me I look like you, would I be less blonde they would confuse us! Stop lying to me, my life’s been a lie for all of these years you left me alone!” I shouted, storming towards Keplinger but not getting far, losing the power in my legs all of a sudden, almost collapsing into Keplinger’s arms. He caught me, tightly wrapping his arms around me until I regained my strength, calming my feelings down at the same time.

“You wouldn’t understand why Louisa and I decided to keep me out of your life, that’s why she never told you and we hoped you would stop asking at one point. You never did.” Rupert explained, leaning his chin onto his hands. He was sitting behind his desk again, I was placed in a chair in front of it.

“Why, why did you do it … why did I have to grow up on this lie you told me?” I sighed. That’s not how I imagined the confrontation, being so emotionally draining for me.

“We wanted you to live a normal life, not struggling under the fact that is being the child of the second in command. It was for your own safety, not for the sake of me not wanting you as a son. You became a strong and powerful man, without me pulling a single string to get your life into the right direction. Should’ve expected you asking sooner or later.” Rupert explained and I didn’t know what to do or think anymore.

True, I would’ve never wanted to be a privileged spoilt brat just because of my father being somewhat important. Maybe I was thankful, maybe I was disappointed. But most of all, I was exhausted and I couldn’t understand the world anymore.

The question I asked myself for all these years – and I wasn’t even genuinely happy about the answer. I probably needed time to understand what happened, understand what it meant to find your missing parent under a pile of lies.

“I will be doing this for the rest of my life if you don’t learn how to wake up by yourself!” Muri’s voice rang inside of my head and I rolled my eyes as I felt the cold metal below me.

“One day I will kill you for that.” I replied annoyed and threw a shoe at my best friend, miscalculating the direction a bit so the shoe didn’t hit Muri’s chest but Arne’s face. “Holy shit.” I murmured under my breath, erratically standing up to apologize to my partner. Arne stared at me with big eyes before he suddenly broke out into laughter.

“Moritz, you can just tell me if you don’t like me anymore, you don’t have to hurt me for that!” he exclaimed, playing the offended one but his laughter gave it away.

The door of the quarters we were in was heard and the sudden silence gave away that someone important just entered the room.

“We’re docking for supplies. Keplinger told me the protectors joining this time, following: Breuer, Schneider, Demir and Mayer. You know the procedure. Be on time.” one of the higher ranked dudes talked into the room before leaving without a further comment.

The three men looked at me with raised brows, I shrugged my shoulders.  
“Exclusive off-ship time sponsored by dad.” I murmured and a laughter was heard coming from all of us.


End file.
